Newport (Cornwall) (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Newport
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1529–1832
SeatsTwo
Created from Dunheved
Replaced by Launceston

Newport was a rotten borough situated in Cornwall. It is now the suburb of Newport within the town of Launceston, which was itself also a parliamentary borough at the same period. It is also referred to as Newport iuxta Launceston, [1] to distinguish it from other constituencies named Newport.

Contents

History

From 1529 until it was abolished by the Great Reform Act of 1832, Newport returned two Members of Parliament. Until the early 18th century, the right to vote was held by all inhabitants paying scot and lot, but subsequently it was converted to a burgage franchise, meaning that the right to vote was tied to ownership of certain properties within the borough, which could be bought and sold at will. This reduced the number of qualified voters: under the scot and lot qualification around 70 people had had the right to vote, but by 1831 the number was only about 12.

The borough had a population of 595 in 1831. The Lord of the Manor, owning extensive property within the borough and with the effective power of choosing both members of parliament, was the Duke of Northumberland.

By the Reform Act, Newport was abolished as a separate borough, but the boundaries of Launceston were extended to include Newport. As Launceston's representation was halved by the same measure, the combined borough was thereafter represented by a single MP whereas previously there had been four members.

Members of Parliament

1529–1629

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
Parliament of 1529 Simon Mountford William Harris [2]
Parliament of 1536 ?
Parliament of 1539 ?
Parliament of 1542 ?
Parliament of 1545 Richard Grenville Walter Skinner [2]
Parliament of 1547 Reginald Mohun James Trewynnard [2]
First Parliament of 1553 Henry Killigrew Francis Roscarrock
Second Parliament of 1553 William Smith John Gayer
Parliament of Apr 1554 Roger Tavernor Thomas Prideaux
Parliament of Nov 1554 Robert Monson Robert Browne
Parliament of 1554/5 William Stourton Robert Monson
Parliament of 1558 Thomas Hungate Thomas Roper
Parliament of 1559 (Richard) Grenville Thomas Hickes
Parliament of 1563-1567 George Basset Ayshton Ayleworth
Parliament of 1571 Edward Holte Robert Colshill
Parliament of 1572-1581 George Basset William Marbury
Parliament of 1584-1585 Robert Mordaunt Walter Covert
Parliament of 1586-1587 John Osborne Edward Winter
Parliament of 1588-1589 William Cavendish Daniel Rogers
Parliament of 1593 Richard Stephens Emanuel Chamond
Parliament of 1597-1598 Morgan Coleman Edward Lewknor
Parliament of 1601 Tobie Matthew Sir John Leigh
Parliament of 1604-1611 Sir Robert Killigrew Sir Edward Seymour
Addled Parliament (1614) Thomas Trevor Sir Thomas Cheek
Parliament of 1621-1622 Sir Robert Killigrew Sir Edward Barrett
Happy Parliament (1624-1625) Sir John Eliot Richard Estcourt
Useless Parliament (1625) Ralph Speccot
Parliament of 1625-1626 Sir Henry Hungate Thomas Williams, junior
Parliament of 1628-1629 Piers Edgcumbe Sir William Killigrew [3]
Nicholas Trefusis
No Parliament summoned 1629-1640

1640–1832

Year1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
April 1640 Nicholas Trefusis Parliamentarian John Maynard [4] Parliamentarian
1640 Paul Speccot
November 1640 Richard Edgcumbe Royalist John Maynard [4] Parliamentarian
December 1640Seat left vacant after Maynard chose to sit for Totnes
January 1644Edgcumbe disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1647 Sir Philip Perceval (died November 1647) Nicholas Leach (died May 1647)
1648 William Prynne Alexander Pym
December 1648Prynne excluded in Pride's Purge - seat vacantPym not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653Newport was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
January 1659 Sir John Glanville William Morice
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 Sir Francis Drake William Morice [5]
August 1660 Hon. Laurence Hyde
1661 John Speccot
1662 Piers Edgcumbe
1667 Nicholas Morice
1678 Ambrose Manaton
February 1679 John Coryton
September 1679 William Coryton
1681 William Morice
1685 John Speccot
1689 Sir William Morice
February 1690 The Viscount Newhaven
December 1690 John Morice
1695 The Viscount Newhaven
1698 John Granville
1699 Francis Stratford
January 1701 John Prideaux
December 1701 William Pole John Spark
1702 Sir Nicholas Morice
1707 Sir John Pole
1708 Sir William Pole
1710 George Courtenay
1713 Humphry Morice Whig
April 1722 Sir William Pole [6]
December 1722 John Morice
1726 Thomas Herbert
1727 Sir William Morice
1734 Sir John Molesworth
1740 Nicholas Herbert
1741 Thomas Bury
1754 John Lee Edward Bacon
1756 Richard Bull
1761 William de Grey
1770 Richard Henry Alexander Bennet
October 1774 Humphry Morice [7] Whig
December 1774 John Frederick
1780 Viscount Maitland Whig John Coghill [8] Tory
1784 Sir John Riggs-Miller
1785 William Mitford Tory
1790 Viscount Feilding Charles Rainsford
1796 William Northey Tory Joseph Richardson
1803 Edward Morris Whig
1812 Jonathan Raine Tory
1826 Lord Charles Greatheed Bertie Percy Tory
1829 William Vesey-Fitzgerald Tory
July 1830 John Doherty [9] Tory
December 1830 Sir Henry Hardinge Tory
1831 Viscount Grimston Tory
1832 constituency abolished

Notes

  1. Hasler 1981.
  2. 1 2 3 "History of Parliament" . Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  3. Killigrew was also elected for Penryn, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Newport
  4. 1 2 Maynard was also elected for Totnes, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Newport
  5. Morice was also elected for Plymouth, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Newport
  6. Pole was also elected for Honiton, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Newport
  7. Morice was also elected for Launceston, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Newport
  8. Created a baronet as Sir John Coghill in March 1781
  9. Appointed judge and resigned, December 1830. Replaced by Sir Henry Hardinge

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References

Further reading